The present invention broadly relates to accessory items for use in conjunction with a tanning apparatus. More particularly, the present invention concerns handles which may be incorporated into a tanning apparatus to support ones arms in an elevated position during a tanning session, as well as a methodology for doing the same.
Each year thousands of individuals venture outdoors where they are exposed to sun light. Individuals are repeatedly exposed to the sun""s rays by virtue of activities which may be recreational, leisure-oriented or work-related. For many, an important aspect of their recreational activities is obtaining a suntan, particularly for those who frequent beaches or swimming pools. Each year, for example, sun bathers line beaches on chairs or towels to spend hours in the sun in an effort to achieve the ideal tan.
Obtaining an ideal tan has long been a very popular recreational past time for many. In many societies, tanning is considered to be fashionable and is believed to make a person look healthier. This to a large extent contributes to the popularity of tanning. Despite its growing popularity, however, the public in recent years has been better informed about the potentially unhealthy effects of tanning. Medical advances have allowed scientists to more accurately pin point the causes of sun burns, and studies have indicated that sun burn can cause premature aging of the skin and increase the risk of skin cancers such as melanoma. More specifically, studies have shown that sun burns result from over-exposure to the sun""s ultraviolet (UV) rays, and specifically the shorter wavelengths found in the UVB region of the ultraviolet spectrum which penetrates deeper into the layers of the skin, thereby playing a more significant role in skin cancer than other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
As a result of these studies, the consumer market has been infiltrated with various types of accessory items formulated to alleviate the undesirable effects attributed to over-exposure to ultraviolet radiation. These various types of treatments include sunscreens with different skin protection factor (SPF) ratings, lotions, eyewear, etc. This increased awareness has also prompted many to avoid long periods of exposure to the sun""s rays, or avoid the sun altogether.
In recent years, one alternative to venturing outdoors to obtain a suntan is through the utilization of an indoor tanning apparatus, such as a tanning bed, an upstanding tanning unit, or even a tanning chair. These types of tanning apparatus employ artificial ultraviolet light and are very popular, especially in the winter months when a natural tan cannot be readily acquired and particularly in those areas where the summer tanning season is relatively short. Although the result is an artificial tan, the advances in this field are constantly improving such that it can be difficult to ascertain whether one""s skin tone is a result of natural tanning or artificial tanning. Accordingly, tanning parlors and salons provide customers with a very appealing alternative from both a medical and convenience stand point. At a tanning salon, customers can also achieve a desired tan in generally less time than would otherwise be required outdoors. Moreover, depending on the climate and one""s accessibility to the various locations traditionally attributed with sun tanning, such as beaches and swimming pools, the convenience to a tanning salon can be a more time efficient and cost effective alternative.
In an effort to optimism one""s tan such that it is more evenly distributed and natural looking, tanning salons offer a variety of different types of tanning bed apparatus. Whether constructed as a tanning bed or a tanning stand, the tanning apparatus generally resembles a clam shell structure having a first arcuately contoured tanning unit and a second arcuately contoured tanning unit which are connected by hinges such that the apparatus can be opened and closed as desired. When in the open position a user can enter the apparatus to either lie down on the lower tanning unit or stand up inside the tanning booth. When the apparatus is closed, the units form an internal tanning chamber where the person to be tanned is surrounded by tanning lamps. Generally also, the tanning apparatus includes a control panel having a variety of adjustment mechanisms to permit a user to vary the intensity of the lamps, control the length of time he or she spends in the tanning bed apparatus, provide audio entertainment, etc.
As mentioned above, an important objective is to obtain an overall tan which is evenly distributed over one""s body so that it is more natural looking. However, it is not uncommon for one utilizing a tanning apparatus to experience white stripping or blank spots in those areas of one""s body which are not directly exposed to the artificial ultraviolet light. One of the most prone areas is in the region of the armpits since one""s natural tendency is to relax the arms next to the side of one""s body during use of the tanning apparatus. When this is done, white stripping also occurs where one""s hand rests on the body. Presently, the most practical way of combating this is for one to continually reorient oneself during the tanning session so that one""s extremities do not interfere with the exposure to the artificial ultraviolet rays. This might be accomplished, for example, by periodically elevating one""s arms to a more appropriate position. However, continually reorienting oneself may exacerbate the inconsistency of the tan, not to mention the discomfort it causes to the individual.
Accordingly, there remains a need to provide new and improved accessory item for use in a tanning apparatus, such as a tanning bed unit, an upright tanning stand unit, or even a tanning chair, which allows one to comfortably and selectively position one""s arm within the tanning apparatus to alleviate the occurrence of white stripping. There is a further need to provide a tanning apparatus which incorporates structure to accommodate this capability, as well as a methodology for comfortably retaining and repositioning one""s arms in an elevated position while in a tanning apparatus to alleviate the occurrence of white stripping. The present invention is directed to meeting these needs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful tanning apparatus for artificially tanning an individual.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful handle which is adapted for use by an individual during an artificial tanning session within a tanning apparatus to support the individual""s arm(s) in an elevated position relative to the individual""s torso.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a handle which, when in use, promotes exposure to ultraviolet radiation on a region of the individual""s body between the arm(s) and the torso during the tanning session.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide such a handle which is easy to use and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a pair of such handles that are comfortable to use and releasably detachable from an interior surface of a tanning apparatus so that they can be selectively positioned at desired locations within an interior of the tanning apparatus.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and useful method of promoting exposure to ultraviolet radiation on an individual""s body during an artificial tanning session in a tanning apparatus.
In accordance with these objectives, the present invention on one hand provides a tanning apparatus , such as a tanning bed, a tanning stand or a tanning chair for artificially tanning an individual situated therein during a tanning session. The tanning apparatus broadly comprises first and second tanning units each having an associated first end and extending therefrom to terminate at an associated second end. At least a first one of these elongated tanning units is adapted to be situated on a support surface. The first and second tanning units are hingedly connected together so that they are movable with respect to one another between an open position to provide access to an interior of the tanning apparatus and a closed position wherein the tanning units enclose the interior to define a tanning chamber. A plurality of ultraviolet lamps are supported by one or more of these tanning units. A control switch is also supported by an associated one of the first and second units. This control switch is operative upon activation to cause the lamps to generate ultraviolet radiation within the tanning chamber for a selected interval of time.
At least one handle is disposed on and projects away from a mounting surface of a selected one of the first and second tanning units. This first handle includes at least one mount releasably attached to the mounting surface and a grasping member connected to the mount. The grasping member is adapted to be held by the individual thereby to support one of the individual""s arms in an elevated position relative to the individual""s torso and promote exposure to ultraviolet radiation on a first region of the individual""s body between the arm and the torso during the tanning session.
Preferably also, a second handle is disposed on and projects away from the mounting surface. This second handle also includes at least one associated mount releasably disposed on the mounting surface and an associated grasping member disposed on the mount. This grasping member is also adapted to be held by the individual thereby to support another one of the individual""s arms in an elevated position relative to the individual""s torso and promote exposure to ultraviolet radiation on an associated second region of the individual""s body between the arm and torso.
The present invention is also directed to a handle which is adapted for use by an individual during an artificial tanning session within a tanning apparatus, such as that discussed above, to support the individual""s arm in an elevated position relative to the individual""s torso. Here, the handle broadly comprises an elongated crosspiece, a first mount and a second mount. The elongated crosspiece includes a grip portion that extends along a longitudinal axis and a pair of legs each extending from respective ends of the grip portion. The first mount is disposed on one of these legs, while the second mount is disposed on another leg. Each of the mounts is operative to releasably attach to a respective interior mounting surface of the tanning apparatus so that the handle can be selectively positioned on the mounting surface and grasped by the individual to support the individual""s arm in an elevated position and, thus, promote exposure to ultraviolet radiation between the individual""s arm and torso during the tanning session.
Each of the legs preferably extends from the grip portion in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis. The crosspiece may be either flexible or stiff in construction. Where the crosspiece is flexible, it may include a flexible cord having opposed cord ends secured to the first and second mounts, respectively, as well as a flexible sleeve surrounding a majority of a length of the cord between the opposed cord end portions. Alternatively, the crosspiece may include a chain having opposed end links attached to the first and second mounts, respectively, and a flexible sleeve surrounding a majority of the chain between the opposed end links.
Each of the mounts may be formed as a plastic suction cup, and is preferably formed of a flexible polyvinyl material which is resistive to deterioration over repeated exposure periods to ultraviolet radiation. The plastic suction cup includes a fruistoconical lower body portion adapted to releasably suction to the interior mounting surface of the tanning apparatus and an upper neck portion adapted to engage an associated one of the legs. To this end, each of the legs may include an associated surrounding flange and each upper neck portion may have a cavity formed therein which is sized and adapted to receive an associated flange so that the mounts are releasably disposed on their associated legs. Alternatively, each of the legs may be formed to include a leg cavity and each neck portion formed to include a nub that is releasably inserted into an associated leg cavity to attach the mounts to the legs. Yet another alternative is to provide a fastening element, such as a screw, which is operative to attach each leg to its associated mount.
The lower body portion of each mount may also incorporate a pull tab which protrudes therefrom, with this pull tab operative upon manipulation by the individual to facilitate detachment of the mount from the interior mounting surface. Preferably also, the grip portion of the crosspiece is contoured to include a plurality of recesses for accommodating the individual""s fingers.
The present invention also provides a method for promoting exposure to ultraviolet radiation on an individual""s body during an artificial tanning session in a tanning apparatus. Here, and as discussed above, the tanning apparatus includes a pair of tanning units movable with respect to one another between an open position to provide access to an interior of the tanning apparatus and a closed position wherein the tanning units enclose the interior to define a tanning chamber. A plurality of ultraviolet lamps are supported by at least one of the tanning units, and a control panel is operative upon activation to cause these lamps to generate ultraviolet radiation within the tanning chamber for a selected interval of time corresponding to a tanning session.
The methodology of the present invention broadly comprises the steps of entering the tanning apparatus, moving the tanning units from the open position to the closed position, attaching each of a pair of handles in a respective mounted state to an interior mounting surface of the tanning chamber, activating the control panel thereby to initiate the ultraviolet radiation, grasping each of the handles in such a manner that the individual""s arms are supported in an elevated position relative to the individual""s torso thereby to assume a tanning position wherein respective regions of the individual that are between the arms and torso are exposed to ultraviolet radiation, and remaining in the tanning apparatus for selected period of time corresponding to a length of the tanning session. The methodology may also incorporate the steps of periodically detaching the handles from the interior mounting surface during the tanning session and repositioning the handles on the interior mounting surface thereby to adjust the individual""s tanning position and promote exposure to ultraviolet radiation on other regions of the individual between the arms and torso.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention when taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which: